iPad Versus Kindle – Who Wins?

One of the big hits yesterday was the iBook store, making the iPad a direct competitor to the Kindle. Sure, the Kindle is task specific and the iPad does a lot more, but let’s take a stab at comparing the two.

First, the size. The Kindle DX is 10.4″ X 7.2″, compared to the 9.56″ X 7.47″, giving the Kindle a slight edge in size. The display on the Kindle is black and white, iPad is color so the iPad is the winner there. Then there’s the book selection and store, which Amazon wins because of volume and content. But now that the iBookstore has been announced, I have very little doubt the power will shift to the iPad soon.

Here’s the biggie though: Price. The Kindle DX is $489, and the iPad is $499. If I’m looking for an e-reader and I’ve got those two to choose from, I’m picking the iPad all day. That said, I don’t know if I’d want an e-reader for $500 anyways, so the real winner might be the regular Kindle at $259.

The iPad obviously beats the Kindle in many respects – video, music, web surfing, etc – but more importantly, it’s cooler. I never saw the point in the Kindle and I read a lot of books. With the iPad, there are other reasons to justify the purchase, so it makes more sense.

I’m sure the Kindle lovers will hate on me for this one, but I think this is an obvious choice.

Comments

The Kindle is an eBook reader with e-ink technology purposefully developed to mimic printed ink thereby reducing eye strain. That’s its big selling point. You can read a book with as comfortably as you would one on real paper. Reading from an iPad would be like reading from a computer monitor. Thus if you want an e-reader, Kindle wins.

I can think of some book content though that would be better on the iPad – anything with images, especially colour. Comic books for example would be better on an iPad, but novels would be better on a Kindle.